Posted
by
Soulskill
on Saturday June 12, 2010 @11:35AM
from the dying-for-some-better-pr dept.

ChiefMonkeyGrinder writes "Foxconn, the manufacturer whose clients include Apple, Dell, and HP, is on the verge of pulling out of China after a spate of suicides. The CEO has accused workers of killing themselves for financial compensation, and the company has stopped suicide payments to suicide victims' families. Foxconn's CEO also told investors that it is considering moving its production operations to Taiwan, and automating many parts of its business, a move which could see 800,000 workers lose their jobs."

Foxconn Exec: It's iPhone, not iP0wne!Foxconn Employee: Yes, there's a difference?Foxconn Exec: Yes, yes there is. You know what you have to do... Foxconn Employee: No... really? For that?Foxconn Exec: Yes, for that. We can't exactly sell them like this, can we?Foxconn Employee: Um, I would buy one like that. Foxconn Exec: Really? Hmmm... that's a great idea! Very good.Foxconn Employee: Thank you. Foxconn Exec: Oh, not good for you, good for me. It's my idea now.Foxconn Employee: No... really?Foxconn Exec: Yes, yes it is. You know what you have to do... Foxconn Employee: This just isn't my day.Foxconn Exec: No, no it isn't.

It was like 20 years ago when I was working at the Stanford medical center, they had a mail delivery robot that committed suicide.For about a year it was zipping around delivering mail, and xrays. It even knew how to take the elevators.

But every now and again it would just hang out by the ATM machine and act weird.

One day it just drove down a flight of stairs and crashed to the bottom shaking the whole building and crushing it's plastic casing.I had a great photo of it lying in a pool of brown lubricant and battery acid, surrounded by doctors in white and blue coats.